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Privacy Policy

How I collect, use and protect your personal information.

Last updated: 28 October 2026

Your privacy matters. This Privacy Policy explains how I collect, use, store and protect personal information when you visit simonwhitaker.co.uk, contact me or enquire about my services.

I aim to keep things straightforward and transparent, while handling your information responsibly and in accordance with applicable data protection legislation.

1. Who I am

This website is operated by Simon Whitaker, a UK-based independent website designer, developer and WordPress website manager.

For the purposes of UK data protection law, I am the data controller for personal information collected directly through this website and in connection with enquiries about my services.

Website: https://simonwhitaker.co.uk
Email: hello@simonwhitaker.co.uk
Location: United Kingdom

If you have questions about how your information is handled or would like to exercise your data protection rights, please contact me using the email address above.

2. Information I collect

I collect personal information when you choose to provide it or when it is necessary for the operation and security of the website.

Information you provide

When you use the contact form or request a website audit, I may collect:

  • Your name and email address.
  • Your company or organisation name.
  • Your website address.
  • Details of your enquiry or the services you are interested in.
  • Information about your website, its requirements or any issues you would like reviewed.
  • Any other information you voluntarily include in your message.

If you become a client, I may also collect business contact details, project correspondence, billing information and information necessary to provide the agreed services.

Information collected automatically

When you visit the website, certain technical information may be processed, including:

  • Your IP address.
  • Browser type, device information and operating system.
  • Pages requested and the date and time of access.
  • Website performance and security information.
  • Cookie preferences and, where enabled, analytics information.

Some of this information may be collected through server logs, cookies or similar technologies.

3. How and why I use your information

I only use personal information where there is a valid legal basis for doing so.

Purpose: Responding to general enquiries and communicating with prospective clients
Lawful basis: Legitimate interests in responding to enquiries and operating my business

Purpose: Providing quotations and taking steps towards a service agreement at your request
Lawful basis: Taking steps before entering into a contract

Purpose: Delivering agreed services and managing client relationships
Lawful basis: Performance of a contract, or legitimate interests where dealing with business contacts

Purpose: Maintaining website functionality, preventing misuse and protecting security
Lawful basis: Legitimate interests in operating a secure and reliable website

Purpose: Understanding website performance through optional consent-based analytics
Lawful basis: Consent

Purpose: Maintaining invoices, financial records and complying with legal obligations
Lawful basis: Legal obligation

Where I rely on legitimate interests, these include communicating with people who contact my business, managing professional relationships, maintaining website security and improving my services. I consider these interests alongside your rights and expectations.

I do not use information submitted through my enquiry forms to automatically subscribe you to a marketing mailing list.

4. Contact forms and website audit requests

When you submit an enquiry, I use the details you provide to understand your requirements, respond to your message, discuss possible services and, where appropriate, prepare a quotation or proposal.

For website audit requests, I may also review the publicly accessible website you have identified to understand its structure, performance and potential issues.

Your enquiry may be delivered to my business email and retained within the website's form submission system, depending on its configuration.

You are not legally required to submit an enquiry, but I need sufficient contact information to respond. If you choose not to provide the necessary details, I may be unable to assist with your request.

5. Cookies and website analytics

This website uses cookies and similar technologies to support essential website functionality, remember privacy choices and, where enabled, understand how visitors use the site.

Cookies may fall into the following categories:

Strictly necessary cookies: Required for essential website functions, security and recording cookie preferences. These cannot be disabled through the cookie preference centre.

Analytics cookies: Where enabled, these help me understand website traffic, page usage and performance so I can make improvements.

Other optional cookies: If additional functionality or third-party services requiring cookies are introduced, these will be identified and managed through the cookie preference centre.

I use CookieYes to provide visitors with information about cookies and manage their preferences.

Optional cookies requiring consent are not intended to be activated until you have made the relevant choice. You can accept, reject or customise optional cookies through the cookie banner and change your preferences later using the cookie settings control on the website.

For more information about individual cookies, their providers and how long they remain active, please refer to the website's Cookie Policy.

6. How I share your information

I do not sell your personal information.

I may share limited personal information with trusted third-party service providers where necessary to operate the website, communicate with you or deliver agreed services.

These include:

  • IONOS: Website hosting and associated infrastructure or email services.
  • Brevo: Transactional email delivery, including messages generated through website forms.
  • CookieYes: Cookie consent management and associated preference records.
  • Other professional service providers: Where necessary, services supporting business administration, accounting, IT security or agreed client work.

Where analytics or other third-party tracking services are enabled, their providers and purposes are identified through the website's cookie information.

Service providers may process information on my behalf under appropriate contractual, confidentiality and security arrangements.

I may also disclose information where required by law or where reasonably necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

7. International data transfers

Some third-party technology providers may process or store personal information outside the United Kingdom.

Where international transfers are subject to data protection restrictions, appropriate legal safeguards must be in place. Depending on the destination and provider, these may include UK adequacy regulations, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, the UK Addendum to standard contractual clauses, or other legally recognised transfer mechanisms.

You can contact me if you would like further information about the safeguards applying to your personal information.

8. How long I keep your information

I keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including any applicable legal, accounting or contractual requirements.

My intended retention approach is:

General enquiries: Information relating to enquiries that do not result in an ongoing business relationship is normally retained for up to 24 months after the last meaningful correspondence, unless there is a legitimate reason for keeping it longer.

Client records: Information relating to active projects and client relationships is retained for the duration of the engagement and afterwards where reasonably necessary for contractual, administrative or legal purposes.

Financial records: Invoices, transaction records and related information are retained for the periods required by UK tax and accounting legislation.

Website technical data: Server logs and security information are retained for periods appropriate to operational and security requirements, including the applicable hosting provider's retention arrangements.

Cookies and analytics: Cookie data and analytics records are retained according to the relevant cookie lifetimes, consent settings and analytics retention configurations described in the Cookie Policy.

When personal information is no longer required, I take reasonable steps to delete, anonymise or securely dispose of it.

9. How I protect your information

I take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration or disclosure.

These include appropriate access controls, website security measures, software maintenance and the use of established service providers.

Although I take precautions to protect information, no method of transmitting or storing data electronically can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

10. Your data protection rights

Under applicable UK data protection law, and EU GDPR where applicable, you have rights concerning your personal information.

Depending on the circumstances, these include the right to:

  • Request access to the personal information I hold about you.
  • Ask for inaccurate or incomplete information to be corrected.
  • Request deletion of your personal information.
  • Request restrictions on how your information is processed.
  • Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
  • Request transfer of certain personal information to another provider.
  • Withdraw consent at any time where processing relies on your consent.

You have the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests. You also have an unconditional right to object to processing of your personal data for direct marketing purposes.

These rights are subject to applicable legal conditions and exemptions.

To exercise your rights, email hello@simonwhitaker.co.uk. I will respond in accordance with applicable data protection requirements.

Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

11. Automated decision-making

I do not use personal information collected through this website to make solely automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on individuals.

12. Client websites and third-party links

As part of my professional services, I may manage websites or systems belonging to clients.

Where I process personal information on a client's behalf, the client will generally be the data controller and I will act as a data processor, subject to the relevant service agreement and data processing arrangements.

This Privacy Policy covers information processed for my own business purposes. It does not replace the privacy policies of client websites.

My website may also contain links to third-party websites. I am not responsible for their privacy practices, and I encourage visitors to review their policies separately.

13. Changes to this policy

I may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to my website, services, technology providers or legal requirements.

The latest version will always be published on this page, with the date of the most recent update shown at the top.

Where a change significantly affects how personal information is used, I will provide any additional notice required by law.

14. Questions or complaints

If you have concerns about how I handle personal information, please contact me first so I can investigate and respond.

Email: hello@simonwhitaker.co.uk

You also have the right to raise a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):

Website: https://ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Where EU data protection law applies, you may also have the right to complain to the relevant data protection supervisory authority in an EU member state.